Thursday, May 29, 2014

'Put the iceblock in the car and your hands on your head'

A man apprehended by police in Auckland, New Zealand, on Tuesday was told via megaphone to put his iceblock down before he did anything else.
At around midday, witness Hayden Eastmond-Mein saw police cars rushing to the scene in Mt Eden. They were following a green sedan, which pulled over at the side of the road.

A police officer then called out using a loud hailer: "Put the iceblock in the car and put your hands on your head."
The driver got out of the car and was handcuffed while police searched his car. One officer was pointing what appeared to be a taser at the man, Mr Eastmond-Mein says.
Several other officers were present. "They were all standing off quite far and sheltering behind doors."

A police spokeswoman confirmed a taser was drawn but not fired, and that police armed with guns were also present. Officers were responding to a report from a member of the public, who said she had seen somebody in the sedan with a firearm.
The vehicle was empty when police arrived, but they executed a standard procedure known as an "armed stop" on it after seeing a man get in and drive off.

He pulled over after several hundred metres but his description did not match the one the woman had provided. He was released without charge after he and the vehicle had been searched. No firearm was found.
Police could not confirm whether the car had been speeding, and say the iceblock appeared unrelated to the firearm report.
The description of the man alleged to have a firearm has been provided to local police staff.